Wrench



2, 1931. H. E. MAYNARD 1,805,368

WRENCH Filed Feb. 23, 1929 INVENT OR HOXVARD E. A YNA H0.

A TTORNEY Patented May 12, 1931 UNETED STATES PATENT @FFEQEE HOWARD E. MAYNARD, 0E DETROZT, IIZICI-IIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO CHRYSLER CORPORA- 'IION, 013 DETROIT, MICHIGAN, I1 COEPQRATION 0F DELAVIARE WRENCH Application filed February 23, 1928.

This invention is illustrated as embodied in a wrench used for the removal of a hub cap from an automobile wheel hub.

The present trend in the design of automobile hub caps is to provide a large circular face on the front of the hub cap which makes the multi-sided neck or nut portion inaccessible with the usual wrench adapted to fit over the end of the hub cap.

End wrenches may be used to engage the nut, but such are objectionable in that they slip around the nut portion due to the fact that they only engage approximately one half of the nut. If these wrenches are slightly sprung they no longer fit the nut portion.

It is an important object of this invention to provide a pivoted engaging face on a wrench which may be opened to fit over the nut portion and then closed to engage faces on the nut portion at points less than 180 apart or engage more than two of the nut faces.

Another object of the invention is to provide the pivoted engaging face of the wrench and the wrench handle so that as the handle is moved in one direction the engaging surfaces of the wrench are brought together more tightly, engaging the nut portion.

Another object of the invention is to pivot the jaws of a wrench which may be opened to fit over the multi-sided portion of the cap and adapted to be closed to engage faces of the multi-sided portion less than 180 apart.

Another object of my invention is to provide a simple two piece stamping formed from sheet metal that will be light, durable and compact in size and to form engaging flanges bent at right angles to the body portion of the stamping to increase the nut engaging area of the wrench.

The above and other objects of the invention will be more fully understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a hub cap with my improved wrench applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the wrench showing the nut portion of the hub cap in section taken on line 22 of Fig. 1, viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Serial No. 342,072.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the hub cap with a portion of the wrench in section taken on line 33 of Fig. 2, viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown an automobile wheel hub 10 and a hub cap 12. The cap 12 is composed of an internally threaded portion 1%; a multi-s'ided neck portion 16, which will be hereinafter referred to as the nut portion, and a circular ornamental face portion "18.

It will be apparent from the design of the hub cap 12 that an open ended wrench, either adjustable or fixed, is the only type of wrench that could be used to remove the cap 12 from the hub 10. It has b'e'enfound that the use of conventional open ended wrenches for thin soft metal hub caps is impractical.

I have designed a combination open end and clamp wrench consisting of only two parts, a handle 20 and a U shaped head portion 22. A rivet 24: secures the two parts together and acts as a pivot about which either may turn relative to the other. The part 22 has an ear 26 stamped in it, which is bent around upon itself and forms a bearing for the rivet 24. Both the handle 20 and the head portion 22 have projections 28, which are bent upwardat right angles to the plane of the pieces 20 and 22, and act as a means for increasing the area exposed to the face of th nut portion 16. It will be noted that the ear 26 has been turned over on the same side of the head as that from which the projections 28 extend.

In the operation of my improved wrench the parts are relatively pivoted about the rivet 24; far enough so that the U shaped member 22 may he slipped over the nut portion 16 of the hub cap much in the same manner as an open ended wrench. The handle 20 is then pivoted back about the rivet 24 in a di rection for applying or removing the cap until the projection 28 comes in contact with the nut 16, clamping the same between the engaging faces of the handle and the U shaped end piece. Further movement of the handle will turn the hub cap. The cap is clamped so tightly between the engaging faces 28 of the handle 20 and the end piece 22 that there is no tendency for the Wrench to slip around thenut.

Although I have described but one form of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not intend to be limited to the structural details of my device except by the terms of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

.17. In a device of the class described, a U

shaped. stamping; nut engaging shoulders upturned about the inner periphery of said. U shaped stamping for engagement With a plurality of faces on a nut; an ear turned back upon itself at one end of said U shaped stamping and on the same side as the aforesaid shoulders; a pin passing through the ear and stamping, and a handle pivoted on said pin and adapted to engage another face of a nut in said wrench. H 2. In a device of the class described, coinprising a U shaped head portion adapted to engage a nut on three sides thereof; upturned flanges about the inner periphery of said head to increase the nut engaging surface there of; an ear turned back upon itself at one end 01 the head portion and on the same side as the upturned flanges; a pin passing through said ear and head; a handle pivoted on said pin and adapted to engage a fourth side of a nut in said U shaped head portion.

HOWARD E. MAYNARD. 

